Love. Angel. Music. Baby.
Love. Angel. Music. Baby. is the debut solo studio album by Gwen Stefani. It was released on November 12, 2004, by Interscope Records. Stefani, who had previously released five albums as rock band No Doubt's lead singer, began recording solo material in early 2003. She began working on Love. Angel. Music. Baby. as a side project that would become a full album after No Doubt went on hiatus. Stefani co-wrote every song on the album, collaborating with various songwriters and producers including André 3000, Dallas Austin, Dr. Dre, the Neptunes and Linda Perry. It was designed to sound like a 1980s record and was inspired by artists like The Cure, Depeche Mode, Cyndi Lauper and Madonna.The album incorporates a diverse range of genres, including electropop, dance-rock, new wave, R&B, hip hop, soul, and disco, while lyrically, most of its songs are about fashion and wealth. Promotion of the album included the release of six commercially successful singles and the North American Harajuku Lovers concert tour. While promoting, Stefani was often accompanied by back-up dancers called the Harajuku Girls. Love. Angel. Music. Baby. was met with generally positive reviews from music critics, and received a total of six Grammy Award nominations, including Album of the Year. It debuted at number five on the US Billboard 200, selling 309,000 copies in its first week. The album has received multi-platinum sales certifications in several countries, and has sold over seven million copies worldwide. Meanings of the Songs The album opens with "What You Waiting For?", an electropop, new wave, dance-rock, and funk song. Lyrically, the song discusses Stefani's fears of beginning a solo career. "Rich Girl", a collaboration with rapper Eve, is a dancehall and reggae reworking of the English duo Louchie Lou & Michie One's 1994 song "If I Was a Rich Girl", which itself interpolates the song "If I Were a Rich Man" from the 1964 musical Fiddler on the Roof.] The Neptunes-produced track "Hollaback Girl" combines 1980s hip hop with dance music. It was written as a response to a derogatory comment that grunge musician Courtney Love made, referring to Stefani as a cheerleader. The fourth track "Cool" chronicles Stefani's previous relationship with Tony Kanal, featuring a new wave and synthpop production.15 The song was compared to Cyndi Lauper and Madonna songs from the 1980s. "Bubble Pop Electric", the fifth track, is an electro song featuring André 3000's alias Johnny Vulture. It was generally well received by critics, who drew comparisons to the 1978 film Grease and its 1982 sequel Grease 2."Luxurious" is a 1990s-inspired R&B song that lyrically talks about the desire to be rich in love, simultaneously comparing Stefani's lover with luxuries. The seventh track, "Harajuku Girls", is a synthpop song that was described as a tribute to Tokyo's street culture, produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. "Crash" is an electroclash song that uses automobile metaphors to describe a relationship. "The Real Thing" was described as a vintage Europop song, and features guest appearances from New Order vocalist Bernard Sumner and bassist Peter Hook] The next track, the synthpop song "Serious", drew comparisons to Madonna's work during the early 1980s. A music video was produced for the song, but it was never officially released, although a snippet of the video surfaced on YouTube in October 2006. "Danger Zone", an electro-rock song, was widely interpreted to be about Stefani's husband Gavin Rossdale having an illegitimate daughter;15 however, the song had been written before the discovery. The closing track "Long Way to Go" is an outtake from André 3000's album The Love Below (2003). The song discusses interracial dating and uses a sample of Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech. Harajuku Lovers Tour Stefani embarked on the Harajuku Lovers Tour on October 16, 2005 to promote Love. Angel. Music. Baby. The tour consisted of only one leg, running for 42 dates across North America, ending on December 21, 2005. The hip hop group The Black Eyed Peas, rapper M.I.A., and singer Ciara accompanied Stefani as opening acts for her tour. The tour was met with varying responses from contemporary critics, who despite praising Stefani's vocals, were critical of other aspects of the show such as its musical material. According to Billboard, the tour grossed $22 million from 37 shows, 20 of which sold out.44 A video album of the concert titled Harajuku Lovers Live was released on DVD on December 4, 2006.45 Additionally, a remix EP titled Love. Angel. Music. Baby. (The Remixes) was released on November 22, 2005 and includes remixes of "Luxurious", "Cool", "Hollaback Girl", and "What You Waiting For?".46 Category:Albums